In the Shadow of the Green Knight
by Fyras14
Summary: By the swords of the knights, the land of Kalos will be protected. They will uphold the law and protect the innocent...but being a hero is not a simple task when something evil lurks in the shadows. But Serena has no time to have doubts, she must act fast if the land of Kalos is to be saved. AU for Anime/Game. Weekly and sometimes random updates.
1. Chapter 1

**-Competition-**

_Once upon a time, the knights of old would race amongst each other to show to the land and their kings the prowess of their companions. Old stories speak of Charizards crusading in the skies, overtaking Flygons and Dragonites that dared pass by and beat them to the finish line; others spoke that upon land, the Fire Pokémon, Ponyta and Rapidash raced upon the fields, evading the obstacles placed before them by nature in an effort to not yield towards the flying lizards in the skies. _

_Yes, the stories spoke of knights and their partners, whether there was rain or hail or wind, they would race. Each mounted upon their trusted Pokémon, daring others to outrun them to the finish line. But, there speaks an old tale of a knight, who rode upon, not a dashing beast of fire or a creature made to fly, no, he rode a rock; a creature made of shards of stone, gray complexion and formidable will. Rhyhorn, the knight called his partner, a stranger in the land of Kalos, who carried his master to victory against those who had once ridiculed him. _

_Upon the defeat of his rivals and their Pokémon, the king came forth towards the knight and asked, "What makes such a beast as yours, faster than wind, lad? A Dragon's speed outruns a spear, and the Creatures of Fire and Leaves compete against these two legs of mine…so tell me lad, what drives you?" _

"_Trust," was the reply. "Rhyhorn and I, we do not care about the risks; we go forward and race, not to win, but merely compete. Winning is the goal of those who do not enjoy competition, but only rewards. Sky or land, what is the point of winning if there is no fair ground, whether we lost or won it matters not to me; we have proven our worth, and that is victory enough for us." His companion, the Rhyhorn, growled in agreement. _

"_I see," the old king said, and turning his head to the other knights—those that had lost against the mighty beast made of stone—and cried, "Listen well! From this day forth, all competition will be made fair. No longer shall you ride you ride among the skies, nor drift among the sea or torch the plains…no, you will all compete on fair ground. You will all be in the same level as your adversary, upon a Rhyhorn you all shall race to show your worth and trust to your King and the Kingdom!" _

_The tradition of racing upon a Rhyhorn became a popular sport soon after this declaration, and soon, the stories say, it spread across the world. But like old stories tend to do as time passes, they disappear and so, nothing remains in the history books of a brave knight who managed to win it all accompanied by his brave Rhyhorn…_

* * *

Practice, practice that was all it was every single day.

Serena Ganabe was beginning to regret ever telling her mother, Grace Ganabe, as a child that she wanted to be like her; a Rhyhorn racer. The young girl reasoned that back then, as a mere child of four years, she had being stupid.

Serena admired her mother, she truly did. Grace was a wonderful woman, and well, Serena; she was just an awful Rhyhorn racer. Her mother, on the other hand, was the gallant knight of the story, leaving her opponents in the dust, while the family Rhyhorn and Serena's training partner, Aristotle, left her in the dust.

Grace would say that being in sync with your partner was the key to success in a competition, as the races tended to get rough from time to time. Serena barely recalled that time where, still a child, she watched her mother and Aristotle being hit by the other competitors; Grace had won that race, but she had a broken leg and a bruised hip while Aristotle carried with him nasty scratches. The young child had not understood the reasoning behind her mother's pain—she had won right, so, why was she crying with a smile on her face and a golden trophy on her hands?

It was only just years after, when she began to train to become a Rhyhorn Racer that Serena finally understood why Aristotle would try to throw her off during those early training days.

"Endurance is built with pain, unfortunately," Grace had said, looking guilty at the tears of her child all those years back, while the Rhyhorn looked down in shame of not giving its master's daughter a fair warning. "The connection a racer feels with their Rhyhorn is built upon endurance. If the Rhyhorn knows its rider will remain on its back at all times, it will give it their all. Me and Ari here, we were the same. Falling, holding on…the Rhyhorn must know you can keep up with it or else it will let you fall."

Endurance was lesson number one, holding for dear life as the Rhyhorn ran was lesson number two—one which Serena found herself failing miserably every single day.

"Remember, focus! You have to be one with your partner or else you'll—"

Serena yelped as she was thrown off Aristotle's back and landed, face first, into the ground below. Her mother, watching from the sidelines, sighed. At least she had managed the twenty minutes…barely.

"Ow…" the girl whispered, facing the dirt, as her mother jumped over the small wooden fence that surrounded the training area and walked over to her daughter. Serena raised her head up, scratched and dirty, to look at her mother, who was kneeling by her side as the Rhyhorn walked over to its master and her child. "I think gravity hates me…" Grace chuckled as she helped her daughter up.

"Not as much as she hates you for not holding on to Ari's reins, kiddo," she told her, eyeing her up and down to see if she had hurt herself in other places. "But you did good…for twenty minutes." Serena sighed. "Hey, don't put that face, now, twenty minutes is better than nothing."

"Yeah…but races don't last twenty minutes," the girl said, unconvinced by her achievement. Days before, she had barely managed ten or fifteen minutes. By some miracle, she had managed the twenty minutes; she guessed her mom and Aristotle were to blame for this development, not that she was complaining really. Falling down at least once would mean a break…then another hour of trying to hold on to Aristotle's reins and pray to Arceus that she wouldn't fall off again. Grace would call it quits after five or six falls, leaving Serena to lick her wounds in peace while congratulating her on some private achievement only her mother could see.

"True, but the fact that you managed twenty is something," the woman said, patting her daughter's head gently. "Why don't we call it quits for today and continue next week?" Serena looked up.

"Huh?" Next week? But it was Wednesday! Her mother would always make her train five days a week, why the sudden change?

"I was invited to participate in a special race being held up in Santalune City," Grace answered. "Jake, my old manager—you remember him, don't you?—called me and asked me to participate in the race."

"But…aren't you retired?"

"Yep! But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy a race or two!" Grace said, winking. "Besides, you could use the break."

"I don't mind the practice, Mama." And that was a lie, but Serena would rather bite her tongue then tell off her mother.

"Of course you don't, honey," her mother said back, her tone of voice indicating she didn't believe her. "I know you don't like this part of the training but I know you'll manage in no time. You managed twenty minutes, today! Who knows how well you'll do next week?"

_With any luck…twenty-one minutes, _Serena thought bitterly, as she smiled at her mother. _She knows I suck, and she's trying to make me feel better by saying otherwise…_

"I'll try to do better, Mama." Grace only smiled.

"You do better every day, Serena. Remember, the connection one feels with their Rhyhorn is the key. As long as you feel that connection you can reach for anything."

* * *

Serena waved good-bye at her mother and Aristotle as they left for Santalune City.

"Call me by Holocaster if you need anything!"

"I will!"

"I left money in the living room table and there should be some leftover food from yesterday's meal, too!"

"Okay, Mama. Be careful!"

"You too, kid! I'll see you on Sunday!"

The girl continued waving until her mother and her Pokémon were gone from sight, away from the small home in the corner of Vaniville Town and the practice fence that surrounded it. Serena put both hands on her hips and just stood there, and after making sure no one was looking, put two fingers in her mouth and whistled a tune. She waited again, and watched from the trees as a small panda-like Pokémon approached her, a leaf upon its lips.

"Hey, there, Pancham," the girl said, petting the small Pokémon on the head. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting long…so, I have the whole weekend to myself. We can play all day, too!" Serena smiled, as the Pancham raised one of its hands to pump its fist up, smiling. "But I guess we have to go and see my 'other' teacher, huh?"

"Pancham!" the Pokémon replied eagerly.

"So, Pancham…tell me…how was it that we got into this mess again?" Serena asked her friend with a small smile, as she looked back at the road leading out of Vaniville Town. "Wait here, I need to get a few things from home; I'm sure Mr. Greene can wait a few minutes, too. Oh, and I can't wait to show you the new Poké Puffs I made for you and Achilles! Aristotle loved them, and I'm sure you will like them, too!" And with that, Serena quickly made her way back to her home, the panda Pokémon waiting patiently for her, looking left and right to make sure it wasn't seen.

Minutes later, Serena reappeared, carrying with her a small basket, its top held closed by a small red ribbon. She carried a small red backpack and had her long, honey colored hair tied in a ponytail. "Come on, then, Pancham, if we run now, we'll make it in time…not that that is going to save us from Mr. Greene's yelling, but I'm pretty sure his Chesnaught will forgive us, eh?" And both ran, girl and Pokemon side by side, running straight to the forest that surrounded Vaniville Town.


	2. Chapter 2

Phew! Finally...after a while this chapter has been finished. As posted in the summary, yes, I plan to update this weekly as a sort of goal of mine but the days will be at random, meaning that today is Monday won't mean the next update will be on Monday the next week and so on. And don't worry about waiting long for the next chapter. I just finished but 3 and 4 so you won't have to wait long but I still need to plan out a few things and move a few things here and there. As another note, most chapters won't be as long as this one, but this two chapters explain a little of what Serena mentioned in last chapter and how she came to meet her Pancham.

This will be both a Game and Anime AU; it will follow a few episodes of the anime but the focus will be mainly in Serena. Ash and others will appear as well. Their will be Amourshipping in this fic as well, but it won't be the main focus of the story, sorry to say (also, Serena does not know Ash from her childhood, just in case people get confused later on)

Please read and review (and if you have any questions or suggestions for improvement, let me know :)

* * *

**-The Past-**

The girl was late.

Practice was at 3 o'clock, sharp. What had the old man drilled on her head two months ago?

"_Never be late for any appointment,"_ he remembered telling her. _"It could save your life as well as others. You think that Blaziken Mask man wastes time because he's putting on make-up!?"_ Of course, he also recalled yelling back when the girl had the audacity to mention that the Lumiose City hero wore a mask and therefore didn't need any make-up. That smart-ass comment had gotten her an extra mile to run before going home, her Pancham glaring at him, as it ran with her.

"She's late, Achilles," the old man remarked, holding his smoking pipe close to his face, glancing at his Chesnaught. "You don't become a hero in a day, and she's late."

"Ches," Achilles remarked, eyeing the old man with a bored look. "Ches, chesnaught."

"What?"

"Ches, Ches!"

"You're saying I'm too hard on the girl for being three minutes late!?" The Chesnaught nodded. "She has to learn to never be late! Three minutes, an hour, it doesn't matter! Now, she's four—no five minutes! Five minutes late can you—"

"Hello!"

Both the master and partner turned towards the voice; Serena and Pancham came from the bushes, breathing hard.

"Sorry I'm late, sir, I—"

"No excuses, you're late, kid!" the old man interrupted. Serena flinched.

"Well, I…" she began, but the old man didn't let her finish.

"You have to do extra today! And so does the Pancham Foundation Mascot over there," he pointed at Pancham, who glared at the challenge. "A mile and twenty push-ups plus some sword training right after will be enough for today!" The old man nodded. "After that, Achilles will continue with the Focus Blast training for your little bear! He's not making much progress but any progress is better than nothing I suppose…Hmm…perhaps I should keep you an extra hour, too, as a lesson." Serena and Pancham flinched at that. "We have wasted enough time as it is. Any questions before we begin?"

"Umm…can I tell you why I was late now?"

"No."

"…it's kind of important…"

"If it's an excuse, it won't do you good, brat. Remember what I said the first day of training, 'No excuses are good excuses'." At that his Pokémon looked up, and shook his head, amused.

"Well…mom left for a race in Santalune City—"

"Good, I hope she wins. What time is she coming back, perhaps I should extend your punishment a little longer?"

"…umm…Sunday…" At that, the old man blinked and Achilles looked at the girl.

"Sunday?"

"It's one of those special races…they last a couple of days…this one is one of those exhibition races that gets dragged on longer than it needs to…or something like that."

"Ah…" the old man nodded, understanding. "Well, then…perhaps I can forgive your tardiness," Serena's eyes lit up. "But don't count at it happening again. You hear?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Well, then, what are you waiting for!? Get to training! Start being lazy and I will add an extra mile every day until Sunday! Now the both of you start running!"

* * *

Serena Ganabe remembered the day she asked to be a hero was the day she met Mr. Greene and his Chesnaught over a year ago; she had just finished Rhyhorn racing practice for the day and was out looking for berries to prepare Aristotle's favorite Poké Puff.

As she was looking for the right berries, she heard the yelp of a small creature coming from nearby. Grace had warned her about the wild Pokémon, and always insisted she just walk to Aquacorde Town and buy the berries but the girl would always make up some excuse; they were not ripped yet in the shop, they were not the right ones, the forest wasn't that bad.

"_I won't be gone long, I promise." _

"_I'll rather you weren't gone at all, kiddo." _

But at the end, Grace always relented. The woman would always give her a warning, though. _"If you're not back in half an hour, I will personally drag you back home and no more walking out to the forest ever again, understood? If you had your own Pokémon this wouldn't be a problem, but you don't so…" _Of course, it wasn't like Grace had not offered Aristotle to accompany her, but Serena would rather let the Rhyhorn stay with her mother. What if a thief came and attacked her? A wild Pokémon that had strayed off and entered the small town and her mother unprotected. No way.

She always found the right berries to look for, anyway. But that year, something changed.

The berries she needed for that specific Poké Puff were not ready to be used yet. Serena had decided to look for another tree; maybe if she was lucky she would find another Oran tree. She didn't have to wonder long before she heard a small whimper behind a group of bushes. Serena almost dropped her basket.

She had never heard a Pokémon like that before…was it about to attack? Did it think she was in its territory? Most of the Pokémon the girl would encounter before would usually leave her alone after realizing that she was not a trainer or someone set on harming them.

The strange creature whimpered again, making Serena look at the group of bushes. Whatever Pokémon it was, was whimpering almost pathetically, making the girl concerned. What if it was a hurt Pokémon? Could it possibly be a person—no, humans would be calling out with words, not in whimpers. Whoever was whimpering behind those bushes was definitely a Pokémon.

Serena crept closer, moving slowly but changed her mind upon hearing the whimpering getting louder and louder eventually evolving into broken sobs. "Pan! Pancham!" That was definitely a Pokémon!

Moving quickly, Serena moved the bushes aside until she was met face to face with a small Panda like creature, clutching hard unto the broken shell of something. The girl would realize seconds later that the shell that lay broken around the small Pokémon was what remained of its egg.

"It's…it's a Pancham," the girl whispered, catching the Pokémon's attention and ending its crying. The Pancham looked up, while Serena stared back. Suddenly, the Pancham stretched out both small hands towards her, as if saying 'Hug me'. "Hey there, little guy," the girl whispered, smiling as she took the two small hands into hers.

"Cham…cham," it muttered, still looking up, eyes shining.

_He's a baby Pokémon! But that's odd…Pancham are not normally found by Vaniville in the wild, not even their eggs! So why is this little g—_

"Damn it! You idiot! I told you not to drop any of those Pokémon eggs! Those policemen almost got us after Jack made the mistake of attacking them with that stupid Charmeleon of his, now he's in custody and we're stuck looking for a missing egg! ONE FREAKING EGG!"

"Don't go yelling at me for Jack's stupidity! He's the one that didn't see the hole in the bag!"

Serena held her breath, and with a quick motion, grabbed unto the Pancham and pressed the small Pokémon towards her chest before it could make another noise. She quickly hid behind the bushes, watching as two men, both wearing black clothes, looking anything but friendly walk nearby. One had a bag on his hand, holding it in such a way as to make sure nothing dropped out of the large gaping hole that Serena could barely see.

"Ah, don't give me that crap, Rey!" the man that was holding nothing replied, glaring. "You were in charge just as much as he was!"

"The bag didn't have a freaking hole before!" the man with the bag, Rey, yelled back. "Doing this was stupid! We should have just let Dimitri handle everything with those Charizards of his! Why didn't we bring him here!? He's more competent than you and the other idiot!"

"He's busy working for that Team Figa…something, dork! Now, shut up! Let's just find that egg and get this over with! We have to move quickly before—"

"CHESNAUGHT!"

"Halt there, villains!"

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

It was the emerald armor that caught Serena's attention first. It glowed bright thanks to the small specks of sunlight that the trees from the Vaniville Forest let pass through. A long, creamed color cape flowed with the wind and the helmet concealed the face and voice, as the stranger in armor spoke again, "Halt there! You think I wouldn't find you!?"

"And who the heck are ya!?" the man cried, meanwhile his partner was quickly taking out a Poké Ball and dropping the bag.

"Le Chevalier Vert!" Rey growled, throwing the Poké Ball up high and releasing a Flareon.

Serena recognized that name; Le Chevalier Vert or the Green Knight, was a well-known hero that protected the citizens of Kalos for almost thirty years, but the Knight had supposedly retired and disappeared from the public eye ten years ago so why—

"We have to go, NOW! Toast this freak, Flareon!"

"Tackle that Flareon before it torches this forest, Chesnaught!" the Knight cried, running, slowly, towards the second man, who threw a Poké Ball up in the air. A Jolteon made itself known as it cried out.

"Knock the sucker out, Jolteon!"

"Jolt! Jolt!" The Jolteon let loose a small spark of lightning that went straight towards the Green Knight. Serena held her breathe, only to gasp out in surprise as the spark missed its target and the Knight, sword up, got the other man unawares, hitting him in the gut as his Jolteon stood there, confused by the sudden development. Meanwhile, the Knight's Chesnaught had made short work of the other man's Pokémon with a simple tackle. The Chesnaught roared at the man's face, making the latter drop to his knees.

"Now, as I was saying," the Knight began, looking back at the other man and his fallen Flareon. "You will come quietly with me, and will share a nice cell with this Jack person, but not before you tell me of this Dimitri friend of yours…I'm curious." As both the Knight and his Chesnaught were distracted by the fallen Sebastian, neither noticed the other guy that the knight had made short work of was standing, his Jolteon by his side. At that moment, he took out something from his pocket.

Serena had moved closer to the battle, the Pancham now hugging her tightly with its small fingers, both watching the other man take out a small knife.

"None of your business, Chevalier," Rey spat. Neither Knight nor Pokémon took their eyes off of him. They had yet to notice the other man slowly moving towards them.

"On the contrary my little thieving friend," the Knight said, shaking his armored head. "If you know what is good for you poachers, you will talk!"

"Go die in a ditch somewhere, old man!"

By then, the man was closer now, and not really thinking straight, Serena ran towards him. She was faster and smaller but the momentum of the burst of speed had been enough for the strength she needed. The man yelped as she crashed against him, barely missing losing an eye in the process as the poacher tried to slash her away. His Pokémon yelped too, and moved out of the way before being hit from behind by the Chesnaught, who sensed the danger quicker than his master and watched with amazement as Serena and the Pancham she held in her arms tackled the man down.

"Shit!" the other man yelled as he fell to the ground, Serena pressing her side against him, and quickly removing the knife from his hand, taking advantage of his surprise. "You little brat, I'm gonna—"

_This is stupid! This is stupid! Why did I do that!? _Serena cried in her mind as she felt her hair get pulled. But before anything more could happen, Knight was before them, sword pointing at the man's throat.

"You will let go of the young lady, now."

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

"That was really stupid of you," the Knight told her, as they watched from the shadows as the poachers were taken away by the local police of Aquacorde Town.

The baby Pancham had not stopped clinging to her shirt as it looked at the horrible men being taken away; it would look back at the girl and then at the Chesnaught and bury its small head in the girl's chest. It was safe now, they were safe.

"…I don't know."

"I'm a trained professional, little girl," the Green Knight said, as if he hadn't heard her. "One just doesn't try to tackle an armed man. What if his Pokémon, Arceus forbid, had reacted faster?"

"I wanted to help…" the girl muttered, feeling guilty all of the sudden. Yes, what if that Jolteon had reacted faster? What would have happened to her? To the little baby Pokémon in her arms?

"That was not help, it was stupid!" the Knight cried. "My partner could have easily taken care of him."

"…but," Serena looked up at the Chesnaught. She had seen the Pokémon's strength, but strength was not speed, she had learned that a long time ago thanks to her mother's constant racing tips. _"If strength mattered, I might just as well roll a rock down the hill; see how far that takes me," _Grace had told her once. _"If a Rhyhorn doesn't have the ability and speed to control that strength, he'll be dead last."_

"What if he hadn't reacted in time?"

"Don't insult my partner, girl," the Knight scoffed. "He is the quickest sword in my arsenal. Sharp as a Honedge! Faster than a Rapidash!" Serena looked at him, and from the corner of her eye noticed the roll of eyes of his 'sword'. She tried very hard not to laugh. "But none the less, you are fine and now we must leave. Chesnaught let us—"

"Umm, wait!" Both the Knight and his Pokémon turned to look at the girl. The Chesnaught's gaze was questioning and Serena could only begin to guess what was behind the Knight's shielded face. "You're…" How could she possibly begin? "You're one of the legendary Chevaliers of Kalos right? The Green Knight?"

"So you know me…true, I retired a long time past, but that doesn't mean I cannot aid others."

"You…you live nearby?"

"Why would you care, child? For all you know, I could live in this very forest and you will be none the wiser. Chesnaught," he turned towards his partner. "By your leave my lady," And he turned and walked off, but Serena cried back,

"Wait! Sir! Please wait!" she ran after him; the Pancham had finally began to look up again, curious of what was about to happen.

"What now, lass? I don't give out autographs…" the Green Knight muttered, crossing his arms. "I will not give you confidential information or any of the sorts, so just run along now."

"I…I," Serena stopped in front of them. She bowed her head—she felt stupid again, recalling her youth—she took a deep breath—her eyes had lit up back then as she said those words—and with a neutral expression looked back at the Green Knight. "I…I…"

"_Mama! Mama!"_

"…can you teach me how to be like you sir?"

"…wha…what?"

"_What is it, sweetheart?" _

"I want to be like you. A knight," the girl went on. She recalled that moment, minutes before, a strange feeling overtaking her being as she tackled that poacher to the ground before he could do any harm.

"_I know what I wanna be when I grow up, Mama!" _

"…do you realize what you are asking me, girl?" the man behind the helmet spoke, as the Chesnaught looked on in wonder.

"_Really? And what is that, kiddo?"_

"Yes…I…" Serena closed her eyes. She had…she had enjoyed helping the Green Knight, despite the help being small and unnecessary, she had enjoyed it. The feeling of doing good…it…it felt different than when she practiced on Aristotle. It didn't make her feel like a total failure. "I want to be a knight like you…you're retired right? Teach me how to be a knight, please."

"You're speaking nonsense, my job as a Knight is over, that is true, but you are a child."

"I want to help people!" Serena cried fire in her eyes. "I want to protect those that I care about, not be manhandled because of my weakness! I wanted to help you back then and I will help you again if the need arises once more. I'm no trainer, but I can learn to be a Knight!"

"You're speaking nonsense," the Knight repeated, but his tone of voice indicated that he was interested for some reason. "Give me a reason why I should make you a Knight."

"Give me a reason not to," Serena challenged. The Pancham in her arms suddenly looked up, first at the girl and then at the man and his Pokémon.

Both were silent for a while, before Serena heard a sigh from underneath that helmet already worn by age and battle. "I don't have a reason to give you, really." He laughed, and then, the Knight turned away from her, before seconds later giving her a small paper with an address written on it. "I will not accept you just yet, give yourself some time and then come and seek me out." From one of his armored pockets, he took out a Poké Ball and then threw it towards Serena, who barely managed to catch it. "That's a special Poké Ball there, if you plan on really following your word, you'll need a special ID for that Pancham, if you plan on making him your partner." Serena looked down at the Pancham, who eyed the ball in her hand with utmost curiosity. "That ID has no name only a number that I and the creator know about; no name, no date, no nothing. The ID protects your Pokémon from capture and keeps it hidden." The Knight turned and began walking away. His Chesnaught looked back at his partner, before turning back at Serena and the Pancham; he winked and gave her a thumbs up before following behind the Knight.

Serena smiled, watching them go, as the Pancham began tapping the Poké Ball with mild curiosity.

"_I want to be a Rhyhorn racer like you, Mama! I want to go whoosh and whoosh and win like you do! I want to be the best like you, Mama!" _

"Yeah…the best…" the girl whispered, looking at the sky. "…I guess I was wrong Mama…I really don't want to be like you at all…"

And then, Serena turned back and began walking back home.

* * *

In case there is some confusion, this chapter and a few parts of the next one will tell the story of how Serena came to be the 'successor' of the Green Knight.

Well, see ya next week!

Edit: noticed i gave him the oc the same name as the bad guy introduced here :), made a few corrections and a name change for the bad guy to avoid confusion.


	3. Chapter 3

**-The Lies-**

"Can you believe it? Poachers, who would have thought…"

"Yeah…"

"I'm just glad nothing happened to you. Thank goodness those little punks were brought to justice, eh?" Serena gave her mother a small smile as she continued to work on dinner.

A whole day had passed since her meeting with the Green Knight and still, Serena didn't know what to do. She had the note with the address on her skirt pocket and the Poké Ball that had been given to her had been used to capture the baby Pancham was safe in her room. As a safety measure, she had managed to convince the baby Pokémon to stay put in her room and quiet down should it managed to break out of the ball—which it had managed to do twice before Serena assured the Pokémon it would be fine.

"Yeah…I…I heard something odd in the forest…didn't want to risk it," Serena began, turning away from her mother to focus on mixing the flour.

"At least you managed to be smart about it," her mother said. The girl gulped.

_Yep…almost getting killed was the smartest thing I could do, Mama…believe me. _

"So…?"

"Hmm?" Grace looked up from her own work cutting vegetables as Serena dipped the small pieces of meat into the flour mix and prepared the pan over the fire.

"What did those guys do?"

"Ah, that group of punks managed to steal a couple of Pokémon eggs from the Day Care in Route 5 by Lumiose City," her mother told her. "A group of breeders from around the world had decided to start this…Wonder Trade Program; they trade you their Pokémon for any of yours. Supposedly it was started as a form to make friends with people around the globe." Grace smiled. "Pretty nice, actually," She frowned then as Serena went on cooking the now flour covered meat in the pan. "Too bad they'll probably cancel it, though."

"Why? That sounds like a pretty neat idea," the girl said as she maneuvered the pan and carefully placed even more meat on it. She glanced back at her mother, who nodded, passing her the vegetables.

"Many Pokémon eggs were stolen; the police didn't even manage to get half of those punks. They announced in the news just an hour ago that the program would be postponed until further notice."

"That…that doesn't sound too good," Serena muttered, thinking back at the baby Pancham stuck in its Poké Ball.

It really didn't seem fair for some reason, when she thought about it later as she and her mother were eating. The only reason she even had her first 'unofficial' Pokémon in the first place was because she had probably cheated a few poachers off their prize…not to mention some stranger that was looking forward to making a new friend.

Serena tried not to think about it much as the day went on.

* * *

A week later, Serena stared back at the old Aquacorde Bakery; this was the address that Green Knight had given her…but of all things, a bakery?

The girl knew this bakery. It had been opened by a nice old couple a couple of years back. While the sweets they sold at the shop weren't necessary the best, many adults could certainly agree that the lady's coffee was as divine as those found in the cafés back in Lumiose City.

For her part, Serena really didn't know what to think as she opened the door. The bakery was empty save for a few Pokémon, a Haunter and a Dewott, who were seated nearby. By their side was a large Chesnaught which Serena immediately recognized as the Green Knight's partner. The Pokémon noticed her, and waved cheerfully.

"Ches! Ches! Naught!" it cried. Serena returned the wave shyly.

"So, you actually came, eh? That old man certainly didn't think you would," Serena jumped at the voice. She looked to her side, noticing an old lady drinking a small cup of coffee, seated by the window. The old lady was small, with gray hairs that concealed black, wearing a modest dress with an apron. She winked at Serena. "Serena Ganabe, was it? Good day to you, lass," Serena blinked. How did this lady…? "You're wondering how I know your name, eh?" Serena gave her a shy nod, but couldn't help but dread coming here. "Old Greenie found out about you through his contacts," the old lady explained.

"Ah…"

"According to him, if you really are willing to become his successor, he'll have to know about you, your name, age, address, parents, make sure you didn't have a criminal record," the old lady shrugged. "But just in my sincere opinion, I think he's just an old stalker." At that, the three Pokémon nearby laughed, while Serena smiled nervously.

"Stalker!? Who are you calling stalker, you old hag?" Serena jumped at the booming voice that suddenly approached them—the lady continued to sip her coffee as the Pokémon tried to settle their laughter down, completely unaffected—as from behind the counter an old man holding a pipe in one hand and a walking stick on the other walked towards them. He had an intimidating face with a beard and long hair to accompany it. The old man glared at the woman, who ignored him as she drank her coffee. "Greta!"

"What? It's the truth. What else would I think if you began snooping around a young girl's personal life, eh?" The old woman, Greta, shrugged. She turned to face Serena. "Would you like some tea, dear?"

"Umm…yes?"

"Was that a question, brat?" the old man asked, raising an eyebrow. Greta only smirked as she rose from her seat and gestured for Serena to take a seat herself.

"Seat yourself, dear. Don't mind the old Grumpy Ursaring over here; he's just annoyed because I called him on the truth."

"You insulted me by insinuating that which I am not," the old man pointed out.

"Oh, you mean going behind a little girl's back and getting her private information, not to mention her number, age, and address is not stalking? I think Ms. Ganabe would disagree with you, excuse me dear," Greta smiled at Serena as she walked past the old man. "Ursaring." The old man responded with another growl as the old lady disappeared behind the counter.

The bakery was silent for a few minutes before the old man turned back at the young girl seated nearby. Serena looked back at the old man nervously as he made his way towards the table she was seated.

"Serena Ganabe, age 10, daughter of the famous Grace Ganabe, the world famous Rhyhorn Racer, who retired a year ago, am I right?" he began, eyeing the girl. Serena nodded. Everyone knew Grace Ganabe…unless they lived under a rock. Everyone that was into the racing world or any competition of some sort knew of her mother. Despite that, even if a normal person knew about her mother, they barely knew anything about her daughter only that she was at a proper age to receive her Pokémon and start her journey or take after her mother and become a legend herself. "So, Serena…why is it that you would risk a career in Rhyhorn Racing to become a hero? Why risk an excellent economic opportunity?"

Greta had by then, arrived with the tea; one for Serena and another for the old man. She winked at the girl and disappeared behind the counter once more followed closely behind by the Dewott and Haunter. The old man's Chesnaught remained behind, watching its master and the young girl.

"I'm not good at it," Serena replied after a while. The old man shrugged.

"So you gave up, then."

"That's not it," the girl shook her head as she watched the old man drink his tea. "I don't hate Rhyhorn Racing…but, no matter how many times I practice, I never improve."

"You gave up," the old man repeated. Serena only glared back, while he smirked. "One that does not improve after one try and leaves things unfinished gives up, simple as that. I won't judge you, though."

"...that's not true. I try." Serena's voice was rising, as her glare intensified. "For three whole years, I have tried but I just can't manage to be as good as my mom."

"But you are not trying hard en—"

"I am!" Serena cried, standing up. She glared at the old man. "Why do people keep comparing me to my mother!?" she went on. "I didn't give up on her nor her training…I just couldn't improve! I came here because you said you'll give me a chance, that you'll consider making me a hero! Not tell me I'm a quitter just because I can't be like my mom!"

Silence befell the bakery, as the old man looked back. Serena's glare was still present on her face; the fire in her eyes burning with anger. Will she always be compared to her mother even with things that didn't involve her? It just wasn't fair! What right did this so-called hero have to criticize her for 'giving up' when she still had the bruises to prove her effort?

_But he's not wrong is he? _Serena's eyes soften, as she sat down. _I just gave up…I saw an opportunity and jump to it just so I could get away from training…even Mama knows that I'm terrible…and still…_

"…you gave up on Rhyhorn Racing but not on your mother, huh?" the old man asked after a while. Serena looked up. The old man no longer had his condescending smile plastered on his face. He nodded. "You only train because you think it makes your mother happy. But when your heart is not in the training, you fail. You're not good, your mother knows it, and yet you don't give up on her…you just gave up on the training." Serena looked up.

"…I don't hate it…"

"I'm not saying you hate the training, but you love your mother enough to just train for her sake; an admirable trait." He stared at Serena, as the girl took a sip of her own tea, now cold. "Training to be a Knight of Kalos will bring you no more joy than training to be a Rhyhorn Racer, so tell me, little girl," he leaned closer to Serena. "Why do you want to be a hero?"

"…because I…because I felt…happy, fulfilled when I helped a week ago," Serena said after a while. The old man raised an eyebrow at that. "I may not enjoy Rhyhorn Racing like Mama does, but I enjoyed doing good…" She looked at the old man. "If it comes to wanting something out of life, making the world a better place is a good place to start, don't you think?"

The old man was silent for a couple of minutes, before he laughed. "Hahaha! Quite true! Doing good brings no fortune, but it makes the world a wonderful place to live in!"

"Right," Greta called back, appearing from behind the counter, in her hands a small basket filled with snacks. "Image the good it would do Kalos to get a new Knight! This old Ursaring is getting sloppy in his old age, after all."

"Greta!"

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

At the end, the old man agreed to make her his successor.

First, they'll need to find a way to not arouse her mother's suspicion as Serena began her training. That problem had been easy to take care of; Serena had managed to convince her mother to let her get a three hour part time job in the Aquacorde Bakery, sacrificing her weekends to train with the old man. Grace was taken aback by her need for extra money, but agreed, in turn, her mother had decided to shorten her training by a couple of hours just in case the old lady needed help in the bakery should anything arise, although Serena knew better.

Grace had figured that with Serena working part time in the bakery, she'll benefit from the cooking. She could get her berries from the old lady as payment instead of wandering the nearby forest just asking for trouble. Had she actually realized that her daughter would spend hours in the forest with the wild Pokémon around, Grace wouldn't have agreed at all.

Working in Aquacorde proved to be a good opportunity too, as Serena was too much of a wallflower to be noticed by the locals and with the Bakery being quite empty in the weekends, it proved to be the perfect cover. Grace Ganabe could go around asking for her daughter and she'll just be told she was at the Bakery, or making deliveries around the small town. As long as her mother was concerned, Serena was safe and sound.

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

When her training began a week after, the Knight or Mr. Greene as he liked to be called, asked her if she had decided on the small Pancham for her partner.

"I could easily provide you with another Pokémon if you want," he had told her. "But that is up to you. He's too young but not worthless. We can start small with him and you. You will work together with your partner, starting with small exercises that will increase in difficulty as the time goes on." Serena had to think about it.

She knew the old man probably figured that the Pancham had been breed for the Wonder Trade Program that had been unfortunately cancelled weeks back. He obviously had not wanted the potential of the Pokémon to go to waste, and neither did Serena. She wanted the Pancham, should anything really happen to her, to be able to defend itself from any danger if she wasn't around.

While the Pokémon was willing to do anything for her, it clearly didn't like the old man. Ever since the training began, it would hide behind Serena's leg and look up. The old man was nasty, he was intimidating. It wanted to play with its friend, not play with the nasty human that always shouted.

Eventually, after a few days, the Pancham got over its fear and began training with Achilles, the old man's Chesnaught. It would always cry when Serena had to leave him behind with Greta and Mr. Greene, but it was assured by her return the next day. However, during the course of a couple of months, the Pancham much to Serena's surprise, Greta's amusement and Greene's irritation, had developed a love for old classical movies after watching a marathon with Serena in the Bakery while in their break. By the end of the marathon, the Pancham was mimicking cowboys, hunters, space rangers and the like. Its new obsession would keep it happy while Serena was at home with her mother.

"He's adorable," Greta had said, watching with a grin as the Pancham made a 'Pew! Pew!' motion as if it was shooting a gun. Serena, for her part, didn't say anything, for she didn't really know what to think, but the girl agreed with Greta as she returned her own imaginary shoots back at her partner. Pancham made a small noise and fell; faking the dead by imaginary bullet to the chest.

Mr. Greene had just face palmed, wondering if he was paying for something he had done in a past life.

* * *

Eventually the year passed without any incident; Grace had not found out and training continued as always.

Serena was taught to endure hits during a fight, swordplay (which she had found out, she was a natural at, much to the old man's surprise), climbing and jumping. Her partner, Pancham or Shadow as she had come to call the Pokémon, trained with Chesnaught, increasing its strength, speed and endurance to cover its partner's back from any villain that would dare to separate them. While the girl was far from perfect, she made good improvement and Mr. Greene was pleased, but only showed it with extra breaks or teaching Serena a new move to go against her would-be foes.

Yet despite all this training, Serena would train with her mother, but unlike with Mr. Greene, her improvements were small and barely noticeable. Grace was never disappointed, however, which made her daughter think that Grace knew that she was beginning to give up on the training, but she didn't give up, either way. At least, falling down from Aristotle's back would make the perfect cover for the extra bruises she had received during Greene's own training. Maybe if she improved as a Knight, she could improve as a Rhyhorn Racer—but a year later had not improved her racing skills at all.

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

Serena took a sip of her tea, as Shadow sat on her lap struggling with the remote control in its small hands. The Chesnaught, Achilles, was lying nearby and yawning. "You need help, Shadow?"

"Cham!"

"You sure?"

"Cham! Cham!"

The girl sighed as the Pancham continued switching channels.

All three of them were taking a break from the latest training session, and her Pancham had decided to watch a new release 'The Great Lucario' starting Diantha Carnet, to pass the time. Shadow had become a fan of her after seeing her in the 'Wild, Wild Snorlax' earlier in the year and continuously pestered its partner to watch her movies during their breaks. The girl could admit she had also become a fan of Ms. Carnet, but she wasn't as obsessed as her partner tended to be. Achilles, too, came to enjoy the movies but it would become bored midway through it and go to sleep, proving to Serena that not everyone was a fan, especially when it concerned Mr. Greene.

_I hope he's okay…_the girl thought, as Shadow finally found the right channel, cheering as it did so. _Yesterday's training session was a complete disaster…_

Since her mother was still in Santalune City, Mr. Greene had decided to increase her training, starting with a new sword technique. On Thursday, they had started with the exercise, and continued throughout the day on Friday, with Greene pointing out they'll continue till Saturday only to make sure Serena was home and well-rested to not make her mother wonder what she was up to in the past four days when she returned on Sunday.

Unfortunately for Mr. Greene, the exercise, while it managed to drain Serena, was not as kind to the poor old man. During a particular quick dodge, Greene had accidently tripped with an old tree root, and fell hard on his back. Serena and Shadow, along with Achilles, had panicked. As the girl stayed behind with Achilles to help the old man, Shadow ran towards the Bakery and called Greta.

When Greta had arrived, the old woman had laughed at the unfortunate mess, as Greene yelled back at her. From the looks of things, this wasn't the first time an accident like this had happened, and while the old woman assured Serena that her husband was going to be fine, she pointed out it would be better if she took a break, too.

Early Saturday morning, Greta had called Serena and asked her to take care of the Bakery while she went to pick up the old man from the Lumiose City hospital. Wishing the old woman a safe journey, Serena stayed behind in Aquacorde. After a couple of hours, Serena had decided to close shop and watch a couple of movies with Shadow and Achilles while they waited for the couple to arrive.

She watched as Shadow jumped from her lap and moved towards the back of the counter, minutes later and a small _beep_ told Serena that it was coming with popcorn for the movie. The girl chuckled as Achilles scoffed besides her. If there was another thing the Pancham enjoyed more than watching Diantha act, it was popcorn.

The Pancham quickly approached its partner, and sat beside her feet, a small bowl of popcorn placed neatly in front of it. Shadow motioned towards the bowl, "Cham?" Serena and Achilles shook their heads.

"No, thank you, Shadow," the girl told her, patting its head. "I already ate a small piece of cake Mrs. Greene left for me."

"Pancham!" the Pancham smiled back, and focused its attention on the television screen.

The credits of the last movie were almost finished, with the announcer talking about the next movie coming up. Serena just rolled her eyes as she heard the plot; a Lucario pretending to be someone he was not to win the heart of a young woman, Diantha, who was already married and blinded by the riches she had earned in her life. A story about betrayal, love and the foolishness of the material world and how they can kill, and how the Lucario's best friend, a Gallade, tried to drag him away from a path that might get him—

"_**BREAKING NEWS! Early this morning, the Santalune City Circuit was taken over by a group only identified as the Rush. According to the information provided by witnesses, they have kidnapped all attendees and competitors, among the kidnapped are the Santalune City Gym Leader, Viola Dubois and World Famous Rhyhorn Racer, Grace Gan—"**_

"Mama!?" Serena got up from her seat, letting cup fall from her hands and hit the floor barely missing Shadow, who upon noticing its partner's distress looked back, before whimpering as it turned back to watch the television. Achilles stood up and roared in shock as the news went on in the background. The girl only stood there, repeating her mother's name in her head. _Oh…oh no…_

It was Serena's worst nightmare come true.

* * *

here is chapter 3; next chapters will mark the appearance of the Green Knight's pupil...but I might think of posting next chapter on the weekend in order to have time to complete a few more.

Enjoy and be kind to leave a review on how I can improve the story! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**-Knight Debut-**

Delia Ketchum thought she was lucky when she won those free tickets for the Santalune City Circuit, all expenses paid, but looking around at the people tied around her and the bad men shouting orders, made her think otherwise. How could her good luck suddenly go south so quickly?

"Okay, ladies and gents just keep cool and nobody gets hurt," one of the men said as his Bisharp stood on guard in front of them.

_Oh, what a horrible, horrible man! _Delia thought, as another Bisharp stood guard behind the group she was tied with. _How could such a wonderful day turn into a nightmare? _

"You are not going to get away with this, you little punks!" Delia and a few others turned towards the voice that had suddenly spoke; Grace Ganabe, along with the Gym Leader, Viola Dubois glared back at them backed up by a pair of racers that had been tied with them as a group.

"Heh, and what are ya gonna do about it?" the punk asked, smirking down at the group. "You kinda seemed a little tied up!"

"You really think you'll be able to get out of here without repercussions?" the Gym Leader asked him. "The police are waiting you up front, and if they don't catch you, you better wish I don't even have a chance to do so!"

"And how you gonna do that, exactly?" another punk asked, grinning like a maniac. "You have no Pokémon. You'll stand no chance against us Rushers!"

"Tough talk for someone that uses Sleep Powder on a crowd of people and then threatens the Gym Leader to lower arms by threatening innocents," Grace retorted, glaring. "I'll be watching my back if I were you, little punk. I bet you won't like getting hit in the behind!"

"Shut up! Bisharp use Metal Claw on this bi—"

"Quiet! Are you guys seriously taking the bait from these chicks?"

Delia glanced at the man who had spoken.

He was tall, older than the two 'punks' who were badmouthing Grace and Viola, with long black hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a black jacket and jeans to match. Next to him, the three heads of a Dodrio glared back at the crowd. "If they wanna keep talking, just break their jaw, see how they like it." The two women just glared at the man, as the other two and their Pokémon laughed.

"Hehehe, you're right, Tito," the man, who had threatened Grace before, looked back at the woman. "Keep talking lady, and you might lose those pretty teeth!"

"I don't mind losing teeth…the question is, do you?"

"Why you—"

"ENOUGH!" Tito cried, glaring at both Grace and the punk. "If you don't keep quiet, fine, we'll knock them teeth outta you," he turned to glare at the man. "And if you keep taking her bait like an idiot, I'll make sure you are the one with no teeth! UNDERSTOOD!?"

"Y-yeah, Tito…"

"Good."

Oh, yes. Delia Ketchum's luck had turned sour alright.

* * *

"Oh no!" she cried. "OH NO!"

Serena knew she was panicking. She couldn't help it, but she was. Achilles and Shadow had tried calming her down for the last ten minutes, to no avail.

"Why is this happening!?" she cried, hands on her cheeks as she walked back and forth. "Who…who would do such a thing!? Why aren't the police doing anything?" Serena went on, as the two Pokémon watched her in concern.

Just seconds after the news break, 'The Great Lucario' had been cancelled and replaced by a special news program. They detailed how a local group of punks by the name of the "Rushers", managed to kidnap the crowd watching the Circuit and threatened the Gym Leader into giving herself up after they had warned her that people would get hurt if she didn't. The police had surrounded the Circuit building minutes later, but as of yet, nothing was happening. No one did or said anything. They were stuck in a loop and it was driving Serena crazy with worry.

"Chesnaught! Ches!" The Chesnaught cried, stomping its foot to gain Serena's attention. The girl looked back, tears already spilling from her eyes.

"W-what? Have they done anything? Oh please, tell me they did…" Serena stared back at the television screen, the same footage she had seen seconds ago still mocking her. The Chesnaught stomped its foot again, making the girl look away from the television. "…what are you trying to say, Achilles?"

"Ches! Ches!" Achilles cried, motioning towards himself and then at her.

"We should go?" Serena asked, feeling a little light headed. "…but how are we gonna stop them, Achilles!? The police haven't done anything productive and they're threatening people in there!" The Chesnaught sighed, before grabbing her by the arm and dragging her towards the counter, arguing the Pancham to follow them. "Wh-what are you doing? Where are we going?" Achilles dragged her towards the back of the shop with little difficulty and then, pointed down at the floorboards on the kitchen. "What?"

"Ches!" the Pokemon quickly removed the floorboard one by one, revealing to Serena a large crystal box. She gasped as she stared back at the Green Knight's armor, helmet and all. Even the sword Mr. Greene had used to save her from those poachers was there! "Ches! Ches!" Serena looked back at Achilles, who pointed first at her and then at the armor.

"Cham! Pancham!" Shadow cried, patting her leg and pointing at the armor, as if agreeing with the idea the Chesnaught was suggesting.

"…you don't mean…?" The Chesnaught nodded. "Wait! I can't do that! Pretend to be the Knight! I might mess up! People might get hurt because of me!"

"Chesnaught!" the Pokémon howled, glaring at her. Serena flinched.

"I know you think I can do it, Achilles…but what if…what if…"

"Cham! Pancham!" Shadow replied, tapping the crystal box, while the Chesnaught continue to point at the armor.

They were right, Serena knew. If the police couldn't do it, perhaps the Green Knight could. But the real and competent Green Knight was being released from a clinic back at Lumiose with back pain and Serena had only a year of training. Could she even stand a chance without messing things up?

"Chesnaught!" the Pokemon spoke again. Serena looked down at the crystal box and then, nodded.

"Okay…I'll do this…let's do this…now…how do I get this thing opened?"

* * *

Tito was getting anxious. The police had yet to send someone to talk to them and knew he knew they were screwed the moment one of them got out. He figured that the only reason the police were still planning out things was because of the hostages, only because of them. Either way, if any of his crew messed up they'll be screwed. And with some of the hostages growing some balls thanks to that Ganabe chick and their Gym Leader, the plan to use them as protection might not work out if one of the hostages decided to rebel back and give the police enough reason to send any of their Pokémon after them.

_Little bastards, _the man thought as he surveyed the scene; two Manetric lay in wait along with their partners in the front of the Circuit building, while another group out with Houndooms and even a Hawlucha stood in wait as back up. _They're waiting for us to do the first move! Fuck it! _

He ran back to the main room where they were keeping the hostages. Tito scowled at his subordinates as they saw them struggle against one of the wild Rhyhorn kept at the Circuit and cared for. It was the only Rhyhorn not inside a Poké Ball, and the only one that was giving them problems. If only that Viola had not taken out his Vileplume with that weird water bug of hers, Tito would have put that Pokémon to sleep no problem. "What's the fucking hold up, idiots?" he yelled, as the Rhyhorn was hit by one of their Bisharp.

"Stop it! You're hurting him!" Ganabe yelled from her place on the floor.

"You shut up!" one of the punks cried, as they finally put the wild Rhyhorn in a cage. "All done, boss," he nodded at Tito. "What do we do now?"

"We hightail it outta here," Tito explained. He pointed at the pair of Rusher members. "Grab as many Poké Balls you can carry and run out the back entrance by the Santalune Forest, a few of the cops are out there," he looked at the punk who had previously shouted. "Use your Koffing to blind them with a Smokescreen; we'll escape in the con—"

"CHESNAUGHT!"

Everyone in the room stood still as they heard the howl.

Tito blinked and then looked behind him. Had the police actually been so stupid as to—

"Stop right there, you p-punks!"

Tito's breath was caught on his throat as he stared at the armored face of the Green Knight and his gallant Chesnaught. "Oh…you have got to be shitting me…" he muttered, gulping as the Knight moved towards them.

They were definitely screwed now.

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

Serena was nervous. No, nervous wasn't the right word. Scared seemed more appropriate for the situation she found herself in.

She walked slowly towards the group of punks, trying with all her might to stay calm. "Don't yo-you dare move, villains!" she cried, her voice distorted by the metal helmet she wore.

"Hehehe…so the old man is back in town," one of the punks said, smiling maniacally towards Serena. Achilles stepped forward and roared, causing the group of punks to walk back slowly, the speaker's smile disappearing as if noticing the Pokémon for the first time.

_Deep breathes, Serena…you can do this, remember…_the girl thought, taking her sword out slowly, glancing at the group of punks before looking at the crowd. She sighed in relief as she noticed that everyone—most importantly her mother—were safe and sound. _Let's make sure to end this fast…oh please let's end this fast. _Serena glanced at her surroundings, noticing the Rhyhorn trapped in the cage.

It wasn't Aristotle, but it seemed miserable all the same.

"Ah, Green Knight, what's happening, man?" one of the punks, Serena assumed the leader, smiled. She grew weary of him almost immediately, noticing one of his hands go behind his back; she failed to notice as one of the punks did the same. "Hey, you think we can talk 'bout this you know over tea and cooki—"

"No."

"Ouch," the leader flinched as if hurt. Serena took another deep breath, her sword lowered but ready to strike, while Achilles eyed the two Bisharp nearby. "That hurts my feelings, man…you're too cruel."

"I'll show you cruel," Serena replied, glaring behind the helmet. She felt something softly grabbing her hair, tied in a ponytail and hidden behind the long cream colored cape. The girl glanced down towards where she knew Shadow was hiding, holding unto the armor's back. Serena gave a small nod; she received a small tug before going into a fighting stance. _Mr. Greene is probably going to kill us…but we have no choice now…_

She now noticed the two punks and their Bisharp moving towards her, one of them releasing a Koffing from its Poké Ball. The leader of the punks laughed as he released a Pokémon of his own, a three-headed beast by the name of Dodrio, who growled back at her and the Chesnaught.

"Oh, but we'll show you first, won't we boys?"

Serena closed her eyes, and then, she ran; Achilles at her side and Shadow holding tightly behind her.

It was time to prove to Mr. Greene if she really was the successor he wanted.

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

Delia watched in utter amazement as the pair of Rusher punks ran towards the armed knight, while the latter ran just as fast towards them. "Is…is he insane?"

"Insane? The Green Knight may look crazy to some people, but he's really tough even at his age," one of her companions told her, looking back as the Knight and his Chesnaught dodged a Slash attack aimed at them. Everyone cheered when the Knight hit one of the punks straight in the nose with the hilt of his sword.

"He shows up a year ago and now today, wasn't the old geezer retired, not that I'm complaining, though," a young lass to Delia's left replied, cheering when the Knight's Chesnaught sent one of the Bisharps to dreamland with a well-placed punch to the face.

"Heroes never retire, they just take breaks," the man from before told them. Delia gave the man a look, and then looked back at the Knight, flinching unconsciously as the remaining Bisharp's attack got him straight in the arm, leaving one of the punks laughing hysterically at the Knight's pain. The Knight let out a yelp before punching the laughing punk straight in the face. Delia noticed with some inner amusement that the guy the Knight had punched was the same one that had threatened Grace just an hour before. He was on the floor in seconds, spitting blood and something white out of his mouth.

_Karma really does hurt, doesn't it? _the Kanto native thought, as the crowd cheered.

"Oh, I wish I could grab my camera for this!" Viola cried, laughing.

The Knight moved quickly, dodging one of the punk's punches, as he let his injured arm dangle a bit by his side. He dodged the punk's second punch, before punching him hard straight in the nose, knocking him to the ground.

"Ouch, that really had to sting," Grace remarked, glancing at the leader of the punks. Delia looked at the leader too, wondering what had attracted the racing champion's attention.

He was sweating, cursing under his breath as the second Bisharp was sent flying by another well-placed punch delivered by the Chesnaught. "Can't you guys do anything right!?" Tito yelled. The bloody punk glared at the grass type and pointed,

"Koffing, Sludge!" The Koffing moved quickly at its master's order, spitting out a black substance from its mouth. It hit the Chesnaught right in the face, making it cry out in pain.

"Chesnaught!" the Knight cried, before looking at the Koffing and its trainer.

"Give the knight a little explosion to the face, Koffing!" The Koffing began glowing menacingly, but the Chesnaught was not down yet. Before the glow came to an end, the Pokémon grabbed unto the Koffing and send it straight towards the punks, who had decided to huddle together nearby.

"SHIT!"

The poisonous Pokémon exploded, knocking the punks to the side and sending a cloud of smoke all around. People held their breath, some coughing thanks to the smoke created by the explosion.

Tito cried out, and looked back at his Pokémon. "We are getting the hell outta here, Dodrio!" he picked up the bag containing a few Poké Balls, and hopped on top of his Pokémon. "Move it, Dodrio!"

As the cloud of smoke cleared, the Green Knight revealed himself along with his Chesnaught, behind his flapping cape the fallen punks and their Pokémon. The Knight looked up and groaned. "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered. He looked at his companion through his concealed face and pointed. "Release the hostages, Chesnaught…I…I…" the Knight stared at the caged Rhyhorn as the Chesnaught walked towards the hostages. "I'll chase that criminal."

* * *

This chapter got poster earlier than expected :), but might as well, it was done after all (after a few corrections here and there). Next week a chapter might come out or not, I've been having some writer's block lately, but I will try to post the chapter either by Friday or the weekend next week.

You might have noticed I included a certain someone's mother but that certain someone is not going to show up until a later chapter (probably by chapter 6 or 7) only because as I mentioned before, the main focus is going to be Serena at least for the time being.

Please read and review or leave behind a suggestion or question.

See ya, next week!


	5. Chapter 5

**-Foolish Decisions-**

Serena ran quickly towards the caged Rhyhorn, mindful of her injured arm, before cutting the cage's lock and setting the Pokémon free. She glanced behind her, noticing Achilles release the people from their bindings group after group.

"Cham," Shadow whispered from its hiding place, wondering what she was planning.

"Rhyhorn," she began, moving slowly to the side as the giant rock Pokemon got out of the cage. It growled back at her, which Serena identified as a small 'thank you'. "Rhyhorn, you think you can help me chase that bad man that put you here?" The Rhyhorn blinked and then, nodded. It stood still; facing the direction the man and his Dodrio had ran off to. Serena silently thanked the Rhyhorn, before she hopped on its back, hearing quiet gasps behind her.

"I didn't know the Green Knight knew Rhyhorn racing…"

"I guess you learn something new every day…"

Serena gulped. _Yep…the Green Knight can't ride but that doesn't mean I won't try…please, let this ride be less than twenty minutes. _

"If you're looking for the little bastard, he went towards Santalune Forest." Serena looked back at the person who had spoken. It was Viola, now untied, standing next to her mother. Grace just looked back, nodding with a contemplative look on her face. Serena gave them a nod as thanks, as the two women turned to help the Chesnaught untie the remaining civilians. "I'll let the police handle those guys," the Gym Leader went on, glancing back. "You take care of Mr. Coward." The fake Knight just nodded again, and looked down at the Rhyhorn.

"Y-you ready, buddy?" she asked, trying not to sound as nervous as she felt.

"Roooar!"

"Chesnaught, stay here, I'll be right back!" The Chesnaught just nodded at its master's apprentice.

"Ches!" Achilles cried back, doing a 'Go' motion with its hand.

"Alright, let's go!"

The Rhyhorn rose its legs up, as Serena held him tightly by one of its rocky horns. This ride was going to be rather tricky as the Pokémon had no reins, but she wasn't going to let that stop her. She took a deep breath as the Pokémon began moving towards the forest, barely catching a familiar voice call out,

"You be careful with that punk!"

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

Serena held tightly on the Rhyhorn as the latter ran a straight line to the forest; she could barely see the cloud of dust created by the man's Dodrio. Shadow had gotten out of its hidden place the moment they left the building and was now seated on the Rhyhorn's head, holding to dear life with its small claws clinging to the Pokémon's rocky surface.

They moved quickly, with the fake Knight shouting apologies to a few trainers that were walking nearby to get out of the way. A few other trainers, recognizing the Green Knight's armor, pointed towards the distance. "If you're looking for that lunatic with the Dodrio, he went that way!" they'll yell.

Serena knew that the Rhyhorn was not as fast as the Dodrio the criminal had as a ride; her mother had taught her as much. Versus another Pokémon, the Rhyhorn was slow and barely managed to keep up, in a battle that was. In a race, on the other hand, a Rhyhorn had an advantage. It didn't have to dodge attacks or execute attacks of its own. Rhyhorn were known to not care of their surroundings while they raced, that's why the races had very little curves and turns, it was just a straight line. They had trouble turning, but what they didn't have trouble doing was going against anything that got in their way. While the man's Dodrio was busy dodging and sidestepping stones and trees, the Rhyhorn the fake Knight was riding just rammed against them.

Eventually, Serena and Shadow were closing in on the criminal, who looked back in shock at noticing the fake Knight and the Rhyhorn behind him.

"What the hell!?" he cried.

"St-stop!" Serena cried back nervously, as the man's Dodrio dodged another tree; the Rhyhorn just rammed against it, almost knocking it down. "Give those Pokémon back!"

"You must be kidding me, man! This Pokémon are worth a fortune to that L—I mean they are worth money, fucker! No way in hell am I giving them back!" He looked at his Dodrio. "Knock the little bastard of his high Ponyta, use Tri Attack!"

"Gooak!" the Dodrio yelled, before turning two of its three heads towards Serena and the Rhyhorn. Opening both beaks, they released a strange triangular beam of energy, red, yellow and blue lights sent straight towards them.

"PANCHAM, NOW!" Serena ordered, as the attack came towards them. Shadow nodded, and standing up with a small paw still holding unto the Rhyhorn's head, raised its free paw which glowed blue. The Tri Attack made its way faster and faster until it made contact, but nothing stopped the collision from taking place. A large cloud of dust and smoke covered the area, with the criminal and his Pokémon laughing in delight of the chaos they had caused.

"HAHAHA! Way to go, Dodrio! That old geezer is done an—"

Before he knew what was happening, Serena, the Rhyhorn and the small Pancham appeared from the within the cloud, not a single scratch on any of them. The Rhyhorn roared as it gained speed towards the surprised man and his Pokémon. They were now side by side, with Serena glancing at him with her covered head.

"That was your last chance!" she cried out as her partner jumped from the Rhyhorn's head towards the man. The man gasped as the Pancham grabbed unto his face, scratching him over and over again, while the Dodrio, with all three heads, tried to peck the small panda Pokémon off but only managed to miss and hit their owner instead.

Serena and the Rhyhorn finally came to a stop, watching as the Pancham continued to scratch the man's face and his Dodrio run unruly around the place trying to get it off. The fake Knight noticed the large tree and whistled towards her partner. Hearing her whistle, the Pancham somersaulted off the man's face.

"Aggh! You stupid—" **BAM! **

Both criminal and his Pokémon slammed against the tree, and were knocked backwards. The blow was enough to knock the Dodrio out, while it only left the man bruised and weak. He tried getting up, only to find the sword of the fake Knight pointed straight at his face. The fallen criminal stared at Serena, the Pancham sitting on her shoulder and the Rhyhorn glaring behind her.

"Now…you were going to return those Pokémon, right?"

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

Serena gave a sigh of relief as the police and Achilles met her deep in the Santalune Forest minutes later.

The police chief thanked the fake Knight for her help and told her that he would take it from here. "Arceus knows what would have happened had you not showed up, sir," the chief told her as they watched a few police officers handcuff the leader of the punks and walk him away. Another officer began guiding the Rhyhorn back towards its home, while the latter growled affectionately towards Serena as if saying 'good-bye'. "That guy and his gang were small time, wonder what made them go to this extremes…kidnapping."

"Umm…he mentioned a man offering money for Pokémon…" Serena told him, doing her best to mimic her master's rusty voice. The chief looked back at the fake Knight, a hand on his chin.

"From thieves to poachers, what is Kalos coming to?" he muttered, before looking back at the girl and saluting. "We apologize for forcing you out of retirement yet again, Green Knight. Our department is rather inexperienced in these kinds of situations, and by the time we received backup from Lumiose, you were already here."

"It's…fine …really," Serena told him, hoping that her nervousness didn't show. She almost had a heart attack when the chief gave her an odd look.

"Are you okay, sir? You sound as if you had a cold or something."

"I'm ok—quite fine, sir!" Serena replied, sweating from inside the Green Knight's armor. _I feel like I'm about to be sick…we have to get out of here, fast! _"So, I t-trust you will handle ev-everything here?" The chief blinked at the question but nodded seconds later.

"Yes, sir," he said, eyeing the Chesnaught and Pancham standing nearby. "I hope you and your Pokémon have a nice day and thank you." He saluted once more and turned to leave, with a smile on his face. Serena sighed and looked back at the two Pokémon behind her.

"My arm hurts…and I feel like I'm gonna die…can we leave now, please?" Shadow and Achilles only smiled, with the Pancham running towards her and hugged her leg as if to calm her. The Chesnaught only growled in approval, a big smile on its face. They all turned to leave, but not before they heard one officer ask,

"Since when did the Green Knight use a Pancham, sir?"

"I guess since he began Rhyhorn racing, officer."

* * *

When Serena and the Pokémon arrived at the bakery, they found the very angry face of Mr. Greene glaring back at them, with Greta behind him, looking worried.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF KALOS WERE YOU THINKING!?"

Serena had, by now, removed the armor, and sat on a chair as Greta bandaged her injured arm, flinching from the pain and the scolding she was receiving. Behind her, Achilles and Shadow flinched as Greene went on and on of the stupidity of her actions.

"Were you not thinking, you stupid brat!? What if those lowly criminals had been more dangerous, hmm!? A scratch in your arm is nothing compared to being shot!" Greta gave her husband a disapproving look.

"Would you calm the shouting, Sebastian? The kid is hurt and I will not take you back to the clinic if you keep upsetting your back with all this yelling." Greene glared back at his wife.

"I will not stop! Do you not see what she has done!? She—"

"Did the right, if rather, stupid thing and saved those people," the woman finished, giving Serena a disapproving look. "But I believe the reason was mainly selfish, wasn't it, dear?" Serena gulped at the accusing tone in Greta's voice.

"I…I…well…I…." The girl really was at a loss for words, as Greene continued to glare at her in disapproval.

Greta was right to call her selfish. Her primary concern had been Grace and only Grace, everything that came after was just her pretending to be the Green Knight. She had fought those guys because they were dangerous, she was careless, she was injured and she was stupid. But it all ended with her mother. Would she have done it otherwise? If not for Achilles's convincing, would she have done the same thing? She had been selfish.

The moment she saw her mother in danger she panicked and didn't react if not for the Chesnaught and her partner arguing her to act and she only did so because Grace was in danger. For Serena, her mother's safety mattered more than those other people…all those kids, parents, teenagers…everything that came after was an afterthought, was it bravery? It didn't really feel like it when she thought about her motivation in the first place.

The old lady finished bandaging her arm, as Greene took a deep breath and glared at Serena. "We will continue this talk tomorrow, young lady," he said, as he looked at his partner who was glaring at him. "And don't give me that look, Achilles. I'm sore with you two as well," Greene gave the girl a look. "Head straight home, tell your mother you panicked when you heard about the Circuit business and that you slammed your shoulder against the counter in your panic, only if she asks…don't tell her anything unless she questions you, understood?" Serena nodded. "Greta will give you some medicine for the pain, and then you will go home."

Serena gave her teacher a silent nod as his wife passed her a small pill and a cup of water. "Here, they'll stop the pain. I would love to give you some to take home with you but well," the old lady smiled apologetically. "The last thing you need is another talking to if your mother assumes the worst." Serena nodded, drinking the pill and quickly finished the glass of water.

The girl stood up, and hiding the bandaged part of her arm behind her short-sleeves shirt, bowed towards the old couple and waved shyly at her partner and the Chesnaught, before taking her leave.

Once the girl was out of their sight, Greta turned towards her husband. "I believe you were a little too rough on the kid, dear," she began only for Greene to scoff.

"She was stupid."

"Oh, stupid, yes…that is true…but must I remind you she's still learning?"

"Foolhardiness is not an option for this kind of work…I repeated to her multiple times, 'Don't be reckless'." Greene sighed. "Even if she was just worried about her mother and wanted to help, the brat could have gotten herself killed because she reacted so foolishly."

"Oh, really?" Greta asked, raising an eyebrow. "Must I remind you that a certain someone almost got himself shot to pieces because of a similar mistake?" The old man frowned back at her, a small tint of red on his cheeks.

"Th-that was a different time," he muttered nervously. "Thirty years ago I was still a greenhorn…"

"And stupid, and reckless and dashingly handsome as well," Greta said, winking. "You and the Red Knight almost got yourselves killed trying to stop that bank robbery…remember? Poor Gurkinn…when his wife found out it was your error that almost got him killed, she sent her Mawile to chew you to pieces."

"How was I to know they had gun with them!?" he asked. "I was worried about you!"

"I know, dear…I know," the old woman said, smiling. "And Gurkinn forgave you, didn't he? So did Maple…right after her Mawile almost bit your leg off, and send you to the hospital to keep the other fool company." Greta went on with a laugh. "So what if I was in the bank during the time of that robbery? It pales in comparison of what you went through, my dear. Ah, such bravery…such stupidity…it almost took my breath away."

"Using my mistakes to your advantage, crafty wench," Greene muttered. His Chesnaught only laughed, recalling that it had been a mere Chespin back then. Shadow only scratched its head, wondering what was going on; it was assured by a small growl from Achilles that it would tell the panda Pokémon the story at another time.

"But it's the only weapon I can use at a time like this, you old Ursaring," his wife told him, a serious look on her face. "Serena made the same mistake today. What she did was selfish, yes, but could you blame her? I certainly didn't hear your teacher yelling back at you for such a reckless mistake…Gurkinn did call you an idiot, though if that helps."

"The previous Green Knight…was too kind for his own good…"

"And you're going to be the nasty Gengar because he was the nice Gallade?" Greta asked him, giving him a disapproving look. "Serena was probably not thinking straight after hearing that her mother was in danger, and I bet it was more thanks to your partner's suggestion that she even pretended to be you in the first place." Greene looked back at his partner, the Chesnaught was looking to the side innocently, while Shadow whistled and ignored the look. "She made a stupid decision, true…but had she not done that stupid decision those gangsters would have gotten away or made a stupid decision of their own all together."

"…true…"

"…But if you had not made that stupid decision back then, people would have gotten hurt, too, Sebastian," Greta went on, a sad smile on her face. "Serena is too young to make those kinds of sacrifices. She was selfish and in turn it affected her judgment. You were selfish and it almost got you and Gurkinn killed." Greene sighed.

"I guess she still needs to learn…"

"True…don't just teach her to be brave…teach her about making important sacrifices, to not care too much about one thing but to not forget why she does it, just like you learned." The old man gave his wife a look, before he massaged his forehead.

"Fine…" he began. "I will let this accident pass…just this once!" Greene cried as he heard the beginning cheers of the two Pokémon nearby. "We will begin a new lesson on Saturday…and will continue to train in swordplay as well…just because she wears armor doesn't mean she can just punch idiots left and right. I'm teaching her swordplay for a reason and—what's wrong, Greta?" Everyone looked at the old woman, as she looked at the door, completely ignoring her husband. After a moment, Greta looked at her husband with a concerned face.

"You think I should have warned Serena that the medicine I gave her was going to make her drowsy?"

Greene sighed.

"…I think that's the least of her problems right now, Greta…a little sleep couldn't hurt."

* * *

Sunday morning came just a little too soon for Serena.

She remembered arriving home, feeling miserable and sleepy. The girl collapsed into her bed almost as soon as she got to her room and slept, not a care in the world. By morning, Serena groaned and opened her eyes. For some odd reason her arm hurt—wait a minute!

She almost jumped out of her bed, giving a small yelp as she did so. Serena remembered the day before, the kidnapping, her mom, the Green Knight, the fighting, the yelling, and then coming back home at the end of it all. The girl quickly inspected her bandage, making sure it was still there.

_So it wasn't a dream after all…_she thought, flinching as she felt the pain in her arm. _I really did all that…didn't I…but…Mama…is she okay? Is she still in San—_

"Serena, you awake yet, kiddo?" Serena jumped when she heard the familiar voice of her mother as her door opened. Grace gave her daughter an amused look upon noticing the panic on her daughter's face. "Did I scare you, sweetie?"

"A-a little, Mama," the girl replied, sighing. "Wh-when did you get home?" _Better pretend I didn't see the news…makes the lie a little easier to pull…_

"Yesterday, actually," Grace told her, leaning against the door frame. "Got here by ten," she gave Serena a smile. "You were fast asleep like a Slaking during winter when I went to check on you." The girl blushed.

"Re-really?"

"Really," Grace went on, grinning. "You didn't even react when I tried waking you up. Eventually, I just decided to let you sleep, you did seem a little under the weather when I got here, after all."

"Ah…" Serena really didn't know what to think. Had her mother seen her bandages? Had she noticed something 'odd' about her? Was she going to ask about her injury? "I thought you were coming back today…did the Circuit end earlier than expected?" the girl asked, wishing the lie seemed genuine as the words came out.

"Oh, you didn't hear?"

"Hear what, Mama?"

Grace was silent for a couple of minutes, giving her daughter a look before looking to the side. "The Circuit suffered a few…interruptions…nothing serious mind you…or maybe a bit on the serious side but nothing the Green Knight couldn't handle." The woman looked back at her daughter, smiling sadly. "Quite the hero, that guy."

"…Interruptions? And the Green Knight, what?"

"Don't worry about it, kiddo. Come on, I already made you some breakfast and I bet you're hungry. I don't think Mrs. Greene will like you coming to work on an empty stomach and frankly neither would I."

* * *

Decided to post this earlier than expected; was already done and did a couple of revisions to it after a while. Next chapter will be a little late, but don't take my word for it though. I've been posting this as I finish them and revise them on the way.

Anyway, a couple of things you might have noticed in this chapter is the name of a familiar guru and who he was friends with. Also, next chapter will include Ash (finally!) and the appearance of a new character and the successor of the Green Knight. It will be after this chapter that the story will catch up to the XY anime/Games (and there will be a small time skip next chapter as well).

Please read and review or leave a suggestion.

See ya, next update!


	6. Chapter 6

**-The Shadow Knight-**

After a quick breakfast and a short retelling of the events the previous day—with Serena acting appropriately with worry and concern—Grace sent her on the way to meet up Greta in the Bakery, telling her that Rhyhorn training would be postponed until old Greta's husband felt better.

The girl, mindful of her injured arm, walked slowly towards the Aquacorde Bakery dreading what was to take place. She wondered what kind of punishment Mr. Greene had in mind…would he forbid her from becoming a hero? Would he make her run two miles like that last time when she came in ten minutes late? It could be anything, really.

Taking a deep breathe, Serena quickly entered the bakery. She spotted Greta, filling a cup of coffee to a man.

Noticing the girl, the old woman waved and mouthed 'Good morning,' before pointing to the back of the counter. Serena nodded, gave the man a small and polite greeting which was returned, and disappeared in the backroom. Shadow spotted her immediately, and cried out.

"Cham! Pancham!" it replied, smiling as it circled around her feet. Serena smiled and patted the Pokémon's head. It stopped spinning and then motioned to its arm before pointing at her.

"I'm okay, Shadow…it doesn't hurt that much…"

"Doubt it," Greene appeared from behind Shadow, balancing himself on his walking stick before sitting down on a nearby chair. "Getting hit by a Steel type leaves more than a bruise, you only got lucky because my armor is quite resilient." He gave her a look, watching as Serena flinched in his presence. "Listen kid, I'm not going to yell out you today…not with my back like this, anyhow," he made a motion for her to sit down on the chair next to his. Serena quickly obeyed, Shadow following behind and sitting next to her. "What you did yesterday was risky and stupid," he began. "But perhaps I was a little too hasty to yell at you, even if you did deserve it." Serena gave him a look, confused at his sudden change in temperament. She was prepared for another yelling match but this? "Can you tell me what you did wrong, kid?"

"Huh?" Yep. This was definitely new. Was he mad? Was he upset? Or…was he trying to understand what she had done. "…well…umm…"

"Come on, kid, it's not that hard," Greene went on, giving her a look. "I know I usually don't give you second chances unless I see fit, so humor me now….what did you do wrong?"

"I…I was careless?" the question was out before she realized her mistake. Serena quickly covered her mouth, flinching at her mistake. Giving answers with questions was never a good answer and Mr. Greene hated that.

"Hmm, but were you actually careless or you think you were careless?"

"Well…umm…" Serena began, looking down at Shadow, before looking back at her teacher. "…I was…I was worried about Mama…"

"Were you?"

"…yeah…"

"I see."

Both were silent for a couple of seconds, before Greene spoke once more. "Listen kid, I was young once…I too did things without thinking, without considering the consequences," he explained the last part by using his walking stick to lightly tap the girl's injured arm. Serena yelped as her partner growled at the man. "You were lucky that man's Bisharp didn't cut your arm off. You got lucky but you were careless." He sighed. "You still have a lot to learn, though," Greene gave her a smile, making the girl blink. "And I guess that is my doing, really…the most important lesson of all is to teach your student how to make sacrifices."

"Sacrifices?" Serena asked, massaging her injured arm, looking confused.

"This job is difficult," he said. "You remember what I told you last year? This job does not pay…we make the world better at our own expense," Greene sighed. "You asked me to teach you how to be a hero but the only things I have taught you is swordplay and improved your physical prowess but never how to make sacrifices."

"Umm…I kinda don't understand you, sir…"

"Of course not, not in a sense, really…" The old man sighed and for a moment he looked older and weary, reminding Serena that he was no longer a young man in his prime that had protected so many people in Kalos. "Thirty years ago, I made a terrible mistake. I was a greenhorn like you and Achilles but a mere Chespin…I had a partner who you probably never hear about this days for he lasted only a few years in the profession before he retired to start a family…like you someone important to me had been in grave danger and without thinking of the consequences I acted harshly. Because of my foolishness and worry, I had gotten my partner hurt and almost killed…I had saved that special person…but in the end what had I done?" he shook his head. "My partner could have gotten killed and my only concern had been the person I was coming to save…I had put the safety of that person before anyone else's and it almost killed one of my friends…mind you, your situation is a little harder to compare, after all, you were alone back there."

"…but Mama was…"

"…your only concern," Greene finished. "Ms. Ganabe is very lucky to have a child like you." Serena stayed silent. She highly doubted her mother would think herself so lucky had she known the real reason on why her daughter took on the Green Knight's armor that day. "Sure, you may not think that now, of course," Greene went on, noticing her silence. "It may eat you from the inside realizing what your selfishness could have done. But it happens…sacrifices mean abandoning the 'who' and remember the 'why' you do it."

"The 'who' and the 'why'?"

"Yes…you told me you wanted to be a hero because you wanted to help others, right? Well, sacrifices are about that…think about the 'why' you became a hero, not of the 'who'…you can be your mother's own hero without the need of an armor, after all so why act like her hero or someone else's hero every time you wear your armor?"

"…I'll try my best, sir," Serena told him after a while, nodding with a smile. Greene nodded back.

"Good, but it will be the primary lesson I will drill on you every day…now, as you are injured your sword and endurance training will be postpone until further notice…or until my back stops hurting but considering that you are young it probably will be until you get better…" Greene shrugged, and then, pointed at Shadow, who was giving him an annoyed look. "Your Pancham Foundation Mascot here, on the other hand, will train…"

"Umm…okay? But—"

"He's a Pokémon and you his trainer…villains always play unfairly and without a proper strategy he will fall…so you need to be there even if you are not the one throwing punches."

"I see…"

"You need to command Shadow here and there when it's necessary, after all, you are merely human and fighting Pokémon is riskier than fighting punks who think that raising a fist to the heavens equals instant knockout." He got up from his seat and motion for Serena to follow him. "Training today will be simple…today training will focus on how to make strategies on the fly, so let's begin."

* * *

"_**I thought I already told you why I cannot do any more work for Team Flare."**_

"And I took it in stride, Dimitri, that is why I'm calling you again…the eggs you and your people provided for us are useless…the boss didn't even want them."

"_**Pokémon eggs are Pokémon eggs, man...besides; didn't your people sell them in the Black Market back in Hoenn, why are you making such a fuss now?" **_

"Because the amount of Pokémon you promised us Dimitri is not enough for our little 'experiment'."

"_**Well, perhaps if the police weren't cracking my operations here and there I wouldn't have a problem. Those fucking idiots your boss hired to help my boys were as useless as a Magmar in the middle of the ocean." **_

"Hmph, I didn't see you complain so much about it…"

"_**That was before I realized their incompetence reached levels of stupid! And because a few of them are talking like Chatots, the police and that Blaziken Mask are after my ass…be glad very few know about your boss and your little team of fireflies." **_

"The Boss has more connections than you, friend. Hehehe…the only reason the police are getting nowhere is because of his connections."

"_**Well, fucking great…give him a golden star for me! He's a straight A student for sure!"**_

"Now, now…must you really be like that, Dimitri?"

"_**And how else must I be like, Xerosic!? You and your boss still owe me money and the police and those crazy heroes are on the watch for me and what remains of my boys…so tell me, what are you doing?" **_

"Like I told you before, Dimitri…getting caught was your problem not Team Flare's."

"_**Pah! Like if those guys could ever catch me! Just make sure your boss keeps his end of the barging or else…you know how it goes."**_

"…"

"_**Meowth got your tongue, Xerosic? Hit a nerve, perhaps?"**_

"I will inform the Boss that you need your payment as soon as possible…mind you, I only go along with your threats because it benefits Team Flare that I do so."

"_**Good. You understand the business well."**_

"Hope I never get to see you again, Dimitri."

"_**Hee! And you probably won't for a while…I'll have to stay in the dark for the time being…so the hunting of Pokémon will now be your problem."**_

"Well, good luck to you."

"_**Yeah, like you would care." **_

* * *

For a whole month, training mainly consisted in training Shadow and only Shadow.

Serena, for her part, was getting a little better of coming with strategies on the fly to go against Achilles. Sure, her teacher will manage to turn the battle in his favor by telling the Chesnaught to do a move the girl was not expecting, but she was learning. The Pancham's endurance and strength were improving as well and both partners benefitted from the mock Pokémon battles they had with their respective teachers.

The only reason training was going so well was because Grace had decided to cancel her Rhyhorn training so she could help Greta in the bakery until Mr. Greene was better. Serena was not complaining about this new development and neither was the old man, who drilled on her everything he could manage before his health got the better of him.

Eventually a week passed, and with her injury fully healed, Serena expected the training to continue the next day. She was surprised when she arrived at the bakery one day, however, noticing that it was closed for the day.

Greta had immediately got her inside the building looking excited and with a smile with her face. Despite the questions, Greta had only shaken her head and argued her to the back of the shop where her teacher, Achilles and Shadow were waiting. She noticed the look of excitement in her partner and wondered what had happened.

Serena eventually got her answer as she noticed the armor facing her from a glass case that lay right in the middle of the room. In contrast to her teacher's own armor, this one was a light gray, combined with a few black metal plates in the chest, arms and legs. The helmet had the same shape and looked new and unused, but what had gotten her attention the most was the cape behind it, once side black while underneath it was a light green, almost clashing against the rest of the armor. Serena also noticed the cape was longer but not so much that it would prove to be a hindrance to however wore it.

"So, what do you think?" Greta asked, smiling.

"Its…nice, but…"

"Phaw, stupid kid this armor is yours." Serena looked at her teacher, shocked at what she heard.

"Wait…what?"

"You already got what it takes to be a Knight, kid…true, you are still a greenhorn but no hero learns by staying with their masters…you have to go outside and become the hero that the people of Kalos expect."

"But…but…"

"You think you're not ready? Well, I don't think so either, but you won't know unless you try, right?"

"Yes! Yes!" Greta cried out, clapping her hands. "Why don't you put it on, dear? Old Greenie's friend took his time to make you this armor…its light and easy to manage!"

"Easy to carry about, too…" Greene put in, smirking as Serena went closer to the crystal and examined the armor closely.

She couldn't believe it…she was going to be a Knight…after only one year? But…no. If her teacher knew she could do it, she was going to do it. There was no time to fear the future unless you lived in the present after all, but…there was one thing that bothered her…

"Umm…sir, why is the color of the armor…?"

"Different from mine?" Greene finished, making Serena nod. "Because you won't be the Green Knight, kid…you will be the Shadow Knight."

"Huh? The…the Shadow Knight?"

"Yeah, seeing as your partner over here," he gave a look at the Pancham who clapped at the armor behind the crystal, pulling Serena's skirt to hurry and try it on. "Is not necessarily green, I thought, why not? Besides, from what you told me about your battle with those villains a month ago, I though the name fit."

"Ah…" Oh, yes. Serena remembered telling Greene how she had hidden her long hair using the cape and how Shadow hid behind her, grabbing to her back as if it was a living backpack. She had kept him hidden all the time. _That…that kind of makes sense…_

"So, get on wearing that armor kid…and then, we'll see if you really are the hero Kalos needs."

Serena was silent for a couple of seconds before she gave her teacher a confident look and nodded. It was time for the Shadow Knight to make herself known.

* * *

—_Two Years Later—_

The Lumiose Airport was busy this time of year; people from Kanto to Unova arrived to visit and sight-see the beautiful land of Kalos. So it was not rare to see a plane from Kanto landing for that day.

Perhaps it was a family that had decided to spend their vacation in the beautiful Lumiose City and wander around the land to see the sights or perhaps it was local natives back from visiting loved ones. Ash Ketchum, for his part, was neither on a vacation nor coming back home. He had come to Kalos for one thing and one thing only, to participate in the local Kalos Pokémon League.

His excitement was shared by his Pokémon, his trusty Pikachu, who along with its trainer looked around and about, seeing the sights and new Pokémon.

"Hey! Ash!" a voice called back, stopping the teenager from running off on his own. He had already made himself a fool with his excitement, falling face first after getting off the plane. "Don't get too ahead! You might get lost!"

"Yeah, Alexa, but I'm excited!"

"Yes, I know," the woman, Alexa, told him smiling. "But Lumiose is a big city, you might get lost your first time around…so, let's just take it easy for the time being." The older woman thought for a minute. "I know, how about you check out the local gym if you want, you can't miss it," she pointed at the tower in the distance. "I have to get back to Lumiose Press to get these articles delivered…I will show you were it is so we can meet up after your battle, later."

"That sounds like a plan!" And Ash smiled, looking up at the sky and wondering the adventures he will have in the future and the people he would meet.

* * *

Finally, Ash appears! Haha! Sorry about that small appearance, but don't worry, the next chapters he will play a part and Serena will finally get to meet him, too! Anyway, in this chapter i introduced our famous scientist from Team Flare and a new character that was mentioned early on (he will be important later).

Next chapter will introduce another hero into the cast and the appearance of Clemont and Bonnie as well, so see you soon!


	7. Chapter 7

**-Welcome to Kalos-**

Ash ran excitedly towards Prism Tower; his first gym challenge with his Pikachu by his side.

It had been a couple of minutes since he and Alexa had gone their separate ways, the older woman forced to part ways with him do to an assignment for the Press. The Kanto native had not minding the fact that his friend had to work and wish her good luck as he ran towards the gym, excitedly looking about and spotting the different kinds of Pokémon here and there.

Lumiose City was truly a wonderful place. Coffee shops, boutiques, even restaurants (costly but the food must have been good!). To say nothing of the gym, Prism Tower was the greatest landmark around and Ash could see why. It particularly towered over everything in the city, illuminating it like a beacon of light.

"You ready, buddy?" Ash asked his Pikachu as they finally stopped in front of the tower's doors.

"Pika!" the electric type replied smiling as a few sparks flew off of its cheeks in determination. Ash grinned, as he moved to open the doors of the gym, being rather surprised by the inside. A large monitor attached to what he could guess was an elevator faced him. He noticed a small speaker nearby; as soon as he got in, the doors closed behind him with a small _click,_ causing Ash and Pikachu to become a little concerned.

"Um…hello?"

"**Who goes there?" **Ash and his Pokémon turned towards the screen, as the speaker boomed again. **"Who goes there, I repeat?" **

"Uh…" The young man glanced at Pikachu and then looked back at the speaker. He got a little closer to it. "I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, and I'm here to—"

"**Challenge the Lumiose Gym, correct?" **

"Y-yeah…"

"**How many badges do you have in your possession, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town?" **

"W-what?" Ash asked, sounding confused. He didn't remember any gym leader asking how many badges he had before…well, maybe Norman from Petalburg City back in Hoenn but still… "Umm…well, I have none, actually…" As he said those words, the monitor turned ON, showing a 'No Entry Allowed' in it, as everything around began to emit a red light. "What's happening!?"

"Cha!"

"**I do not allow inexperience trainers in this gym! OUT!" **

Before Ash and Pikachu knew what was happening, a large hand appeared out of nowhere and the doors that had closed behind him were now opened. Neither trainer nor Pokémon got out of the way of the large mechanical hand as it grabbed them and threw them out.

"AGH!" Ash and Pikachu flew out of the gym, and in seconds landed on—something soft?

"Gotcha!"

"Are you okay?"

Ash looked around, and noticed he had landed on some sort of mat. He looked around for his Pikachu and noticed a young blonde girl had his Pokémon safely secure on her hands. Next to her, the worried expression of a young man close to his age, also with golden locks and wearing a blue jumpsuit, faced him. "Are you okay?" he asked once more, giving his hand to Ash, which he took it as he nodded.

"Yeah…" He looked back at the closed doors of the Lumiose Gym. "Thanks for saving me and Pikachu, well, maybe for cushioning our fall." The young man blushed and scratched the back of his head.

"It's no problem, really," he said.

"Yeah, yeah! No problem!" the little girl cried, hugging Pikachu tightly. "Your Pikachu is so adorable! Does he have a name?" Ash smiled, as the girl continued to hug his Pikachu, who returned the hugs by rubbing against the girl's cheek.

"Nope. Just Pikachu," he told her, as she finally let go of the Pikachu, who smiled at her from its place in the ground.

"Pika," it told her, smiling.

"Nice to meet you, Pikachu! I'm Bonnie! And this," she pointed at the blonde boy with her. "Is Clemont!"

"Bonnie, I could have told him my name, you know," Clemont told her, giving her a look. Bonnie responded with a look of her own.

"But you didn't so I did it for you!"

"A-anyway," the blonde said, turning away from his sister to face Ash. "Are you sure you are okay, umm?"

"Ash Ketchum," the other boy told him, nodding as his Pikachu returned to his place by his shoulder. "Don't worry about me, though. I'm fine, your mat," he turned to look at the strange balloon mat on the ground. "Covered most of the damage," Ash glared at the tower. "Never thought the gym leader of this city could be such a jerk," he didn't notice as Clemont and Bonnie flinched in unison at the mention of 'gym leader'.

"Y-yeah…just days ago, a similar challenger was thrown out…" Clemont told him, nervously.

"For not having enough badges too, huh?"

"Ye-yeah…" the blonde answered, gulping, still looking nervous. "Generally, the people here or Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Center warns the new trainers about that little 'problem' since a new gym leader took over some time ago…" Clemont sighed, as if guilty.

"Still, that kind of behavior is stupid," Ash told him. "A gym leader should be ready for any challenge, whether they have badges or not." The boy before him fixed his glasses, nodding.

"Y-yeah…I guess, this gym leader is only looking for strong opponents," Clemont said, sighing.

"Hey, Clemont," Bonnie began, catching the two older boys' attention. "Want me to help you put your balloon back into your bag pack?" Her older brother nodded.

"Yes, thank you, Bonnie," he told her, smiling.

"Hey, I'll help out too, after all I owe you!" Ash told him, smiling. The two siblings returned the smile as they began to work.

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

After helping the siblings put the strange mat back into Clemont's bag, they decided to go to the nearest Pokémon Center and catch something to eat.

On the way, Clemont and sometimes Bonnie told Ash about Lumiose City and its many sights, coffees and restaurants. There were also small lunch carts nearby, offering cheaper food as well. They decided to just eat nearby instead of heading to the Center right away, with Clemont still telling Ash about a few places of interest here and there.

"I'm telling you, that Shadow Knight doesn't stand a chance against the hero, Blaziken Mask!"

The small group, along with the Pikachu, turned towards a pair of teenagers arguing in the table next to them. Ash gave them a confused look; he turned to Clemont and asked,

"Shadow Knight? Blaziken Mask? Are they some sort of cartoon characters?"

"Nope! They are local heroes!" Bonnie jumped in, getting off of her seat and jumping in place. "Shadow Knight is a new hero that showed up two years ago! He and his Pancham take care of the people in Vaniville Town to Santalune City!"

"Heroes?" Ash asked, blinking. _A hero that protects a town and a city…sounds like that incident that Mom told me about. _

"Yeah, Blaziken Mask is the older of the two…but another hero, Fireheart, began helping out in Vaniville and the local Aquacorde Town together with the Shadow Knight," Clemont explained, smiling. "Blaziken Mask is the protector of Lumiose City."

"Whoa…never heard of a region that had so many heroes," Ash commented, as his Pikachu nodded. "A few regions I went to, the heroes were small and well, they usually were not well-known."

"It's more to do with Kalos' history than anything else, really," the young man told him. "Back in the day, a group of knights rose up to stand against the corruption and thieves of the world. There was a knight for every type of Pokémon imaginable, each with a different name and Pokémon partner."

"But seems like Shadow's the only knight of the bunch…"

"True," Clemont said, nodding. "But Blaziken Mask appeared ten years ago, as soon as the Red Knight retired from fighting. The same case with the Shadow Knight; each of those heroes changes their name here and there, and we consider them Knights, either way," he explained, making Ash nod. "Besides, you must have heard about a hero back in Unova during your travels, right Ash? Her name is Riolu Girl. She also took the place of a retired Knight that protected that city."

"Sorry…didn't spend too much time in Castelia City," Ash told him, blushing in embarrassment. "I was usually more focused in getting the badges than about finding out about the local heroes."

"Aww, that's too bad," Bonnie replied, returning to her seat. "She's real cute and so is her Riolu! But I still think that Blaziken Mask is tougher than Shadow Knight! His Blaziken is so cool but I still think that Shadow Knight's Pancham is adorable!"

Ash and Clemont only laughed, as Bonnie went on and on about why Blaziken Mask was better than the rest.

* * *

And this is a rather short chapter. I was planning to write more but I just decided to save it up for next chapter. Serena will star next chapter and she will meet Ash, but like I mentioned in the author's notes before, she doesn't know Ash from her childhood.

Now here we get a little back story about how the knights came to be (mind you its short and straight to the point) this small piece of information also introduces two new characters, with Riolu Girl getting mentioned. (For those of you wandering, no, she will not be part of the story but I might change my mind eventually). She is the real inspiration behind this story...and well, maybe a story about her after I finish this one.

Hope you enjoy! And see you next update.


	8. Chapter 8

**-First Meetings-**

Serena smiled as she surveyed the many treats and sweets on the local Lumiose Bakery; she sighed inwardly as she noticed the prices. Sometimes she wished the best places in Lumiose weren't the most expensive too.

She surveyed another area of the store, wondering if Aristotle or her mother's Fletchling, Orph, would like a few small chocolate treats. The young lady glanced at the price, and groaned mentally. Those little pieces were worth that much money!? It was unavailable. This really wasn't fair…but her Mom told her to take advantage of the trip the big city. Grace didn't mind; she had money to spare for both of them.

Grace Ganabe had been invited to a special event being held in Lumiose City and decided to bring her kid along. _"To see the big city,"_ she had told her daughter when she had asked. _"It's not every day we get take a trip to Lumiose City after all. We can look at the sights once the whole event is done, too!" _Serena had not minded the invitation; she needed to take a break from a few things herself. Mainly being the hero of Vaniville Town, for one.

She began to wander around the shop and finally found the cheapest candy around; Serena let out a small groan as she read the description of the candy she had found. _Ah, these are cheaper because they're ingredients! _

She sighed and left the shop, deciding that maybe she'll just go to the local grocery store by the Pokémon Center and buy some chocolates to make her own snacks, instead. Serena figured that Shadow would be disappointed by not getting any chocolate, as would Orph and Ari, but they wouldn't mind a homemade chocolate, would they?

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

A lot had changed in two years, ever since the Shadow Knight appeared.

Serena and her Pancham had become well-known around Vaniville Town all the way to Santalune City; Mr. Greene constantly reminded her not to let the fame get to her head. He had seen many heroes shattered by their own ego too many times before, but he didn't have to worry with Serena. She just enjoyed helping people, and wearing an armor just made things easier once in a while.

For her part, her mother had let her off of Rhyhorn training permanently. At first, the decision had surprised Serena, but her mother had just said that she figured that her daughter was no longer finding any joy in it; she wouldn't improve if she didn't enjoy the training, so Grace wasn't going to force her daughter on something she didn't like. Grace figured that as long as her daughter did something she liked, she would support her no matter what.

In turn, Serena had decided to work fulltime at the Aquacorde Bakery for the time being. The job was more of a cover for her work as the Shadow Knight, but nonetheless she enjoyed baking snacks here and there for the patrons. Still, baking wasn't something Serena wanted to dedicate herself all her life fulltime and so, she still searched for 'that' something but still, her duties as a Knight took over…and now, she was here in Lumiose City taking a small break from her duties for a while at least.

_Perhaps something will change today, _the girl thought as she walked through the Lumiose crowd, looking at the sights and wondering what the future would hold for her.

* * *

Ash and the two siblings made their way towards the Pokémon Center, the Kanto native and his Pokémon looking at the sights around them, smiling at all the different things.

"Wow…Lumiose is a pretty place, right Pikachu?" Ash asked his partner, who nodded with a smile.

"Yep! Lumiose has all the sights and all the cute and cool things too!" Bonnie chimed in from behind them, skipping. "There's this really cute looking bakery nearby, too!" She looked at her big brother. "Can we go there, Clemont? Can we, please?"

"I don't think so, Bonnie," Clemont replied, shaking his head. "My wallet's still crying from the last time we went there…"

"They're pretty expensive, huh?" Ash asked, sympathizing as he and the siblings passed by a three star restaurant, doubting he could afford anything on the menu with his small amount of money in his possession.

"But they're so good!" Bonnie remarked, looking sad as she said so. "Daddy brought some for us a week ago, too…and they were so good…"

"And costly too," Clemont remarked. "Don't worry Bonnie," he told her, as he and his sister followed after Ash, who was walking down stairs heading towards the local plaza. The Pokémon Center was just beyond here and they just needed to—

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

The small group stopped nearby as the pair of voices reached their ears, with Ash glaring at the strangers before them. "Team Rocket!"

"Oh, hello you little twerp!" a red headed woman sneered, smiling as a Wobbuffet cried out behind her.

"Wobbuffet!" it cried, as a purple haired man laughed nearby, with a Meowth by his feet.

"Nice to see you too, twerp," the man told him, as the Meowth laughed.

"Sure it is good to see you!" the Pokemon told him; it didn't notice as Clemont and Bonnie gasped behind Ash.

"Did that Pokémon just talk!?" the blonde boy asked, as Pikachu jumped out of Ash's shoulder and faced the trio of villains.

"What do you guys want!?"

"Well, that is none of your concern, really," the woman told him, looking bored. "Just leave your Pokemon Balls in our capable hands and we will be on our way."

"You wish!" Ash cried, pointing a finger towards them. "Ready, Pikachu!?"

"Pika!" the rat Pokémon cried, as its cheeks sparkled in electricity.

"Use Thunderbolt!"

Electricity surrounded Pikachu, before it went straight towards the trio; the woman laughed as her Pokemon got in front of her.

"Give him a piece of his own medicine, use Mirror Coat!"

"Wobbu!" the blue Pokémon cried, a hand on its forehead as a white aura surrounded it. The thunderbolt attack hit the Pokémon, before the Wobbuffet glowed and sent and even stronger attack towards the Pikachu.

"Dodge it, Pikachu!"

The Pikachu tried to move out of the way, but the blast of the Mirror Coat got to it first. Pikachu was sent rolling on the ground by its trainer's feet. "Pikachu!" Bonnie cried, as Clemont went to get his own Pokémon out.

"Bunnelby, go!"

A flash of light later released a rabbit-like Pokémon, who stood before the fallen Pikachu and Ash, who picked up the Pikachu in his arms. "It seems another twerp is in need for a lesson, as well, James," the woman commented, looking smug.

"It will seem so, Jessie," the man, James, agreed.

"We will see about that! Bunnelby, use dig!"

"Bun! Bunn!" the Bunnelby cried, using its large ears to dig a hole and disappearing into the ground.

"Dat won't work for long!" the Meowth remarked, as it prepared its claws. It jumped towards Ash and Pikachu, ready to attack them—

"Croak!"

Before anyone could blink, the Meowth was hit by a Bubble attack, sending it flying to the side and taking care of the talking Pokémon before it could hurt someone. "Croak! Croak!"

"What the heck!?" James cried, as a small frog like Pokémon jumped on his head, covering his eyes as the latter panicked. "Agh! Get it off! Get it off!"

"What in the world is this!?" Jessie cried.

"Bun! Bun!"

The Wobbuffet cried out in pain as Clemont's Bunnelby attacked in from underneath the ground. Wobbuffet collapsed against its trainer, sending her to the ground. "Uff! You stupid Pokémon!" James managed to remove the frog Pokémon from his head, who in turn, stood next to the Bunnelby as they faced off against them.

"Bunnelby use Mud Shot!"

"Stop that little pest, Wobbuffet! Use another Mirror Coat!"

As Bunnelby's ears glowed it send a stray of muddy balls towards the two humans, only for the Wobbuffet to get in front of them, glow and return the attack.

"Oh no! Bunnelby do—"

"Croak! Croak!" Before the Bunnelby or its trainer could do anything, the frog Pokémon pushed the Bunnelby aside, as it raised its webbed hand and created a small blue sphere which it quickly sent to collide against the Mirror Coat attack. The two attacks collided, canceling each other out, before it sent another sphere towards the trio.

"Argh! Stop that frog, now, Wobbuffet!" Jessie cried. "Use another Mirror Coat!"

"Wobbuffet!" Another glow surrounded the Wobbuffet as the blue sphere collided against it. The force of the attack and the damage it had sustained earlier made it almost trip on its feet, but the Wobbuffet stood strong as it returned the attack.

"Oh no!" Bonnie cried, as Ash and Clemont watched the frog Pokémon get hit by the Mirror Coat attack. Pikachu shook its head in Ash's arms, before it jumped and then, without warning and catching even its trainer by surprise, ran towards the trio and the Wobbuffet.

It began to sparkle in electricity as it ran, moving quickly and then, before Jessie could order an attack, tackled and electrified the Wobbuffet, sending it flying against the two older trainers, who cried out in pain as they were sent to the ground, squashed by the blue Pokémon. "Pikachu!" it cried, as it backed away before the Meowth could attack it.

"I shoulda—"

"Bunnelby, Doubleslap!"

Bunnelby ran towards the Meowth and hit it once, twice, three times with its large ears, sending it crashing towards the fallen trainers. "Arg! My aching back!" James cried, as he felt more weight on top of him.

"Shut up, James!" Jessie cried, grabbing her Poké Ball and returning her fallen Wobbuffet. The two immediately got up and grabbed the cat Pokémon from the floor. "You haven't seen the last of us, you twerps!" And before either Ash or the siblings could do anything, they watched the trio disappear into the distance.

"Wh-who were those guys?" Clemont asked Ash, as the trainer ran towards the fallen frog Pokémon, with Pikachu close by.

"No one good…" the Kanto native told him, as he picked the frog Pokémon; the poor thing was not looking good. "This is no good…we gotta take this little guy to the Pokémon Center!"

"Well, then, what are we waiting for! It's this way!" Pikachu jumped on Ash's arms, mindful of the second passenger, as his trainer and the two siblings ran after him. Clemont's Bunnelby hopping next to Bonnie to keep up with the running kids; they passed by a blonde haired girl on their way, Ash apologizing for slamming against her as he ran.

Had they looked back as they entered the Pokémon Center, they would have noticed the girl looking back, a hand on her chest, her cheeks a light red.

"Maybe…maybe I'm getting a cold…" Serena muttered, as she turned to walk back to hotel, wondering who the boy was and wishing that his Pokémon would be okay…she also wondered if she would ever see him again, only to shake her head.

Like that would ever happen.

* * *

Finally! Ash and Serena meet, albeit just barely. Decided to change the fight with Team Rocket a bit and make them a bit competent this time around.

Sorry for the delay...I started this chapter quite a while back but got writer's block in the middle of writing it...and well, some other things took my attention away from this story but I hope to update it next week at the latest. The next chapter will be long so we can finally move on with the plot (was planning to make it two parts but I noticed that this two last chapters were dragging it more than it needed to).

See you next update! And sorry for the delay!


End file.
